Wendy Zukerman (Host)

One of our listeners, she asked me to call her Tina, started off just taking meth with friends to go dancing on the weekend. She'd party all weekend on this big binge, and on her way home, sometimes she'd start to see things.

One of our listeners, she asked me to call her Tina, started off just taking meth with friends to go dancing on the weekend. She'd party all weekend on this big binge, and on her way home, sometimes she'd start to see things.

For another listener, we'll call him Theo. After he was using meth for a couple of years, when he was high, he would get into this really creepy headspace.

For another listener, we'll call him Theo. After he was using meth for a couple of years, when he was high, he would get into this really creepy headspace.

Collectively, all of these symptoms, hallucinating, getting paranoid, this is all called meth-associated psychosis. And researchers say that it can look indistinguishable from schizophrenia. And I called up Jennifer Scheer, a neuroscientist who did her PhD on this at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, to find out why it happens.

Collectively, all of these symptoms, hallucinating, getting paranoid, this is all called meth-associated psychosis. And researchers say that it can look indistinguishable from schizophrenia. And I called up Jennifer Scheer, a neuroscientist who did her PhD on this at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, to find out why it happens.

And she told me something that most scientists studying meth don't. didn't tell me. I love meth.

And she told me something that most scientists studying meth don't. didn't tell me. I love meth.

Jen used to go to these dance parties in South Africa, and she tried meth a handful of times. How much were you thinking about your own experience as you were writing these studies?

Jen used to go to these dance parties in South Africa, and she tried meth a handful of times. How much were you thinking about your own experience as you were writing these studies?

She was actually never that worried that taking a bit of meth a handful of times would stop her from finishing her thesis, largely because of that research that shows the brain can recover. Anyway, we got to talking about why meth can cause psychosis. And she told me that some of what's going on here is probably from sleep deprivation.

She was actually never that worried that taking a bit of meth a handful of times would stop her from finishing her thesis, largely because of that research that shows the brain can recover. Anyway, we got to talking about why meth can cause psychosis. And she told me that some of what's going on here is probably from sleep deprivation.

Meth can keep you up for days if you take enough of it, and that can make you go loopy in all kinds of ways. But something else is happening here too. So right now, you are probably not on meth, and your brain cells are communicating, sending signals to each other in this orchestrated dance that allows you to listen to this podcast and not to think about other stuff swirling around your brain.

Meth can keep you up for days if you take enough of it, and that can make you go loopy in all kinds of ways. But something else is happening here too. So right now, you are probably not on meth, and your brain cells are communicating, sending signals to each other in this orchestrated dance that allows you to listen to this podcast and not to think about other stuff swirling around your brain.

But because meth has these powerful effects on different chemicals in our brain... Jen says that it can scramble that dance.

But because meth has these powerful effects on different chemicals in our brain... Jen says that it can scramble that dance.

For example, a really important thing that your brain does is that it inhibits or shushes certain signals. But meth stops some of that from happening. So all of a sudden, you're seeing things and thinking things that you wouldn't normally be.

For example, a really important thing that your brain does is that it inhibits or shushes certain signals. But meth stops some of that from happening. So all of a sudden, you're seeing things and thinking things that you wouldn't normally be.

And so studies find that quite a lot of people who use meth, we're talking maybe one in three, one in two, will get meth-associated psychosis. But this is an experience they'll have while they're high. Those thoughts should go away pretty soon after meth is out of their system. So Tina, she only saw shadow people while she was taking meth.

And so studies find that quite a lot of people who use meth, we're talking maybe one in three, one in two, will get meth-associated psychosis. But this is an experience they'll have while they're high. Those thoughts should go away pretty soon after meth is out of their system. So Tina, she only saw shadow people while she was taking meth.